Systems, Methods and Devices for Selling Transaction Instruments

1. A method for adjusting a balance of a transaction account associated with an open transaction instrument purchased in a retail environment, comprising: receiving, by a computer for adjusting a balance of a transaction account, a request to debit a purchase amount from the balance of the transaction account, wherein an account code is associated with the transaction account, wherein the tracking code is associated with at least one of: the open transaction instrument, the package, and another item within the package, wherein the open transaction instrument is configured to be offered by a merchant to a consumer and the open transaction instrument is configured to be directly accessible by a consumer, wherein the open transaction instrument is configured to be generally accepted by merchants that are not directly affiliated with each other, and wherein the open transaction instrument is associated with the transaction account, and wherein the open transaction instrument has an account code associated with the open transaction instrument, wherein the account code is one of a plurality of account codes, wherein one of the plurality of account codes respectively correspond to one of a plurality of tracking codes, wherein one of the plurality of account codes is respectively associated with a transaction account and the transaction account is associated with the open transaction instrument, wherein the package contains the open transaction instrument; verifying, by the computer, that the transaction account associated with the open transaction instrument is a valid transaction account; verifying, by the computer, that the balance of the transaction account associated with the open transaction instrument is at least equal to the purchase amount; and reducing, by the computer, the balance by the purchase amount.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the purchase amount includes at least one of: cash equivalent value and loyalty points.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the balance includes at least one of: cash equivalent value and loyalty points.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising authorizing the purchase request and sending an authorization message to the merchant.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving the tracking code from at least one of: the merchant, an intermediary and the consumer.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving the tracking code in a message containing the request to debit.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising facilitating funding the transaction account by at least one of: initial loading of funds, partial funding, re-loading funds and funding at a time subsequent to the purchase request.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising facilitating activating the transaction account.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising facilitating activating the transaction account at least one of: before, during and after funding of the open transaction instrument occurs.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising facilitating funding the transaction account at least one of: before, during and after activation of the transaction account occurs.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising causing the transaction account associated with the open transaction instrument to have a monetary amount that is available in response to the open transaction instrument being activated.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising facilitating activating the open transaction account associated with the open transaction instrument at a time subsequent to the time when the transaction account is caused to have a monetary amount.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the open transaction instrument is configured to be generally accepted by at least one of: merchants that are not directly affiliated with each other, merchants within one shopping mall, merchants within one payment network, merchants within one country, and merchants within one geographic region.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving a personal identification number (PIN).

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the open transaction instrument is the account code.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the open transaction instrument is at least one of: the account code printed on paper, the account code encoded into an RFID device, and a signal of the account code transmitted to a personal digital assistant of the consumer.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tracking code is presented in at least one of: a numerical format, a code format, bar code format, encrypted format, radio frequency format, and magnetic stripe format.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the account code is presented in at least one of: a numerical format, a code format, bar code format, encrypted format, radio frequency format and magnetic stripe format.

19. A system comprising: a network interface; a processor configured to execute a computer program; a memory; and the computer program configured to: receive a request to debit a purchase amount from the balance of the transaction account, wherein an account code is associated with the transaction account, wherein the tracking code is associated with at least one of: the open transaction instrument, the package, and another item within the package, wherein the open transaction instrument is configured to be offered by a merchant to a consumer and the open transaction instrument is configured to be directly accessible by a consumer, wherein the open transaction instrument is configured to be generally accepted by merchants that are not directly affiliated with each other, and wherein the open transaction instrument is associated with the transaction account, and wherein the open transaction instrument has an account code associated with the open transaction instrument, wherein the account code is one of a plurality of account codes, wherein one of the plurality of account codes respectively correspond to one of a plurality of tracking codes, wherein one of the plurality of account codes is respectively associated with a transaction account and the transaction account is associated with the open transaction instrument, wherein the package contains the open transaction instrument; verify that the transaction account associated with the open transaction instrument is a valid transaction account; verify that the balance of the transaction account associated with the open transaction instrument is at least equal to the purchase amount; and reduce the balance by the purchase amount.

20. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method comprising: receiving a request to debit a purchase amount from the balance of the transaction account, wherein an account code is associated with the transaction account, wherein the tracking code is associated with at least one of: the open transaction instrument, the package, and another item within the package, wherein the open transaction instrument is configured to be offered by a merchant to a consumer and the open transaction instrument is configured to be directly accessible by a consumer, wherein the open transaction instrument is configured to be generally accepted by merchants that are not directly affiliated with each other, and wherein the open transaction instrument is associated with the transaction account, and wherein the open transaction instrument has an account code associated with the open transaction instrument, wherein the account code is one of a plurality of account codes, wherein one of the plurality of account codes respectively correspond to one of a plurality of tracking codes, wherein one of the plurality of account codes is respectively associated with a transaction account and the transaction account is associated with the open transaction instrument, wherein the package contains the open transaction instrument; verifying that the transaction account associated with the open transaction instrument is a valid transaction account; verifying that the balance of the transaction account associated with the open transaction instrument is at least equal to the purchase amount; and reducing the balance by the purchase amount.